Thank you for your incredible support

You’re saving lives. You’re breaking the silence.

Every time we answer a call for help, you’re there too

Thanks to your support you’re helping us work in more ways than ever to support people struggling to cope.

You helped our volunteers respond to

3m

phone calls

200K

emails

46k

online conversations

In one year

You’ve ensured that every 10 seconds Samaritans responds to a call for help.
5000 people from 500 organisations have completed courses on wellbeing and preventing suicide.
1300 prison listeners have responded to more than 37,000 calls for help.

You’re keeping people safe online

You helped our campaign for a safer internet, by writing to almost all 650 MPs in the UK. Thanks to you the Government has responded, announcing it will make online content that encourages someone to harm themselves illegal.

You’re pushing the Government to save lives

Thousands of you have taken action through our Saving Lives Can’t Wait campaign to call for the Government to play its part in reducing England’s suicide rates. In a vital first step, the Government has announced a dedicated suicide prevention strategy – and with your support we will keep pushing to make sure this plan makes a real difference to people’s lives.

You’re reaching people at railway stations and other public settings

In 2022 alone, we trained 2,500 rail staff to support people who are suicidal or experiencing trauma. That took the total number of rail staff we’ve worked with to over 31,000 since 2010.* We’ve worked closely with Network Rail, British Transport Police and the wider rail industry to develop the next phase of our Small Talk Saves Lives campaign, which encourages the public to start a simple conversation with someone who might need help.

In 2023, thanks to you, we’ll keep reaching more people at railway stations and other public places – including through 190 more training courses where rail staff can learn how to respond whenever someone is struggling. And we’ll share our Small Talk Saves Lives campaign in more ways, including through a new film.

*Work made possible by partnership with Network Rail.

You’re there for vulnerable veterans

Thanks to Samaritans’ supporters, we launched our dedicated app for military veterans in October 2021. 2,500 people have signed up since then, getting help for the emotional challenges we know many veterans face. We also kept working with SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, to see what more we can do to reduce suicide among veterans. With your support, we’ll keep reaching the people who need us most. Thanks to you, in 2023 we’ll be able to take more calls to our dedicated veterans support line and train more listening volunteers from the military community.

You are helping people break the silence

Joanne’s story

Being a Samaritan was always something I’ve wanted to do. I wanted to know it was the right point in my life to do it and give it the time it deserves. When I got into a more positive mind space, I was able to get involved. I went through a really difficult period in my life. I remember I felt really on my own. I just wanted to talk to somebody. But at the time I didn’t properly understand what Samaritans offered.

Today, being a Samaritan is a huge part of who I am. It defines me and is a massive bit of my identity. I can’t stand to think that people are dealing with stuff with nobody to support them, because that’s a really lonely feeling. I always feel a bit of a fraud because I get more out of a shift and I think, ‘I got more out of that than the callers did’. I always feel extremely positive. It’s so important to talk directly about suicide. When people ring, they want to know that whatever they say won’t shock us. I know I would have felt very insecure calling and hopefully callers know they have a calm, level person on the other side of the phone.

There is still so much taboo around suicide and suicidal feelings, but there is a safe space at Samaritans to talk about this.

Joanne is a listening volunteer at Samaritans

Heldiney’s story

Being a Samaritan is a deeply rewarding thing for me. Perhaps the most powerful thing is that your influence as a volunteer has the potential to go beyond the call itself. Giving the person on the phone the right set of questions they can ask themselves to work through their own challenges and for future moments in their lives is a really brilliant thing. I know from my own experience just how valuable it can be.

Around six years ago, my girlfriend at the time had broken up with me. It made me question the meaning of my life. I was on the edge of feeling suicidal. So I called Samaritans and I told them my story, and I remember the Samaritan listening attentively without interrupting, without saying anything. After I had given some information, the Samaritan asked: “Are you feeling suicidal, based on what you’ve said?” And no one would ever ask that in a normal conversation. So it felt sort of like a barrier had immediately been lowered and I could just open up about it. That, I think, was one of the most unique parts of the conversation. It made me realise: ‘OK, this isn’t your average phone call. There’s something different and maybe special here’. Being exposed to active listening for the first time, where someone genuinely wants to listen to you without an agenda, really changed me. It seemed like a superpower and I wanted to learn it if I could!

Now, as a Samaritans listening volunteer, I feel very lucky to be exposed to the full spectrum of what it means to be human. To anyone that might be struggling, I’d encourage them not to lose hope and keep trying. Speak to someone you trust or reach out to a helpline like Samaritans. Talking might help make things lighter.

Heldinay is a Samaritans caller and listening volunteer

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